The CBI court also took a strong note of the investigating agency’s failure to arrest Yadav Singh’s wife, Kusum Lata, and contractor Pankaj Jain, despite repeated attempts. In the last hearing, the court had ordered the case investigating officer to arrest the two absconding accused and produce them before the court on May 25.

Yadav Singh, the suspended chief engineer of Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities, along with other 11 accused, have been lodged in jail in connection with the graft case.(HT Photo)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ghaziabad on Thursday set June 9 as the date for a hearing on framing of charges in the case pertaining to alleged corruption by Yadav Singh in public works undertaken in Noida.

The CBI court also took a strong note of the investigating agency’s failure to arrest Yadav Singh’s wife, Kusum Lata, and contractor Pankaj Jain, despite repeated attempts. In the last hearing, the court had ordered the case investigating officer to arrest the two absconding accused and produce them before the court on May 25.

The court said that the CBI’s inability to arrest the two accused is hampering the progress of the case. The CBI had filed a chargesheet against 14 persons in the case and the court had taken cognizance of it on March 29, 2016.

“Since the two accused are yet to be arrested, the court has ordered that the case documents of the two be kept separate and the arguments on framing of charges against the other accused be heard on June 9. The court has already issued non-bailable warrants against the two,” BK Singh, special public prosecutor, CBI, said.

Yadav Singh, the suspended chief engineer of Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities, along with other 11 accused, have been lodged in jail in connection with the graft case.

In pursuance of a July 16, 2015, order of the Allahabad high court, the CBI registered a case on July 30, 2015 against Yadav Singh and others for criminal conspiracy, cheating and other IPC sections, besides the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, for alleged corruption in the laying of underground cable worth nearly Rs9,202 lakh and other public works.

In March 2011, the Noida authority had decided to initiate the process of laying underground cables on Master Plan-1 Road at an estimated project cost of nearly Rs9,202 lakh. It was alleged that even though the tenders were called in March, these were opened only in November 2011 and finally allotted to two different firms based in Ghaziabad and Noida in December 2011.

According to the CBI, their investigation revealed that the allotment of work was allegedly pre-decided, tender formalities wilfully violated, and the project estimate highly inflated for undue gains to the contractor. Investigators alleged that the process caused a loss of Rs19 crore to the government exchequer.

According to the chargesheet, Pankaj Jain was managing the affairs of Ghaziabad-based JSP Constructions, which is one of the alleged beneficiaries. The CBI stated that there is evidence to suggest that contract allotted to the firms was pre-decided and that the tender formalities were completed later.

The chargesheet also stated that Kusum Lata allegedly facilitated receipt of bribes for husband Yadav Singh through her garment firm.